it’s not high enough to
hurt yourself if depressed
there are 170 permanent residentson the island

all named Junior

as am I.

I am Junior

Of the three -— Junior and Chubby and Carmen -—I am Junior

I am Junior also
Junior -— right here

We are all Junior.

We share the island withthe red-footed Booby

WE HAVE THE LARGESTRED-FOOTED BOOBY POPULATION

in the Caribbean

The first sighting of Little Cayman Islandwas by Christopher ColumbusMay 10, 1503

My fourth (and final) voyagewe are blown off course by the windAy -— an island, I will name it
Las Tortugas for the sea turtleslater the name will be changed to Las Caimanasfor the many caimans living there.

Caiman is Spanish for alligator.

I have never been to the Cayman Islands

Part 2: Junior Is Thinking

I am thinking about what moves me about the storywith the pieces
both presented as visual
a conversation
how I need not find my way into itthere is no intersection for meI did not go to the same high school

as these two Kim and Joan

how if I met someone simpaticowe might refer to each other this way:
we went to different high schools together.That would be more accurate.

It’s the conversation recorded on the wall of the gallery
that draws me into the storythis ridiculous truth
the discipline of daily writing and
water sportsrisk exposure vulnerabilitywhat do we have in common?

Also the tropical vitality of the imagesand colors
as I watch them while we are prayingthe movement in the visual pieces

In the story -—Layers of bad news
followed by -—
scuba divingthe desire for the physical

I’ve never actually been to the Cayman Islands, Grand Cayman
Cayman Brac.I am Junior only in my imagination and for the length of this poem
or while looking at these picturesI am wondering why Cayman is spelled with a y and not an i

and did I push my way into this storyor did the story pull me in?

Part 3: So much cancer this week

Between visits and burialslast wordspoetry to ease night terror

the necessity to stay sunny

-— I read the shadow story in text
recoveryreboundsurvival

nurture

I draw the line at regurgitation

The celebration of survivalwith conscience and awareness no awareness

I want to go scuba diving

and the memories that attach

I lost my skin

Making love moving into dancingthey go to the Cayman Islands

Can I go?

To the Caribbean —named after the Caribs
dominant Amerindian people at the time of European contactlate 15th century
—
gone now